Sex in Paradise—Darwin—Wallace—Intelligent Design  WARNING: One of the scenes in this video is sexually explicit and intended for mature viewers only.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIYkpwyKEhY Excerpt BOFAW: Chap. 26, “Soul Medicine.”  I pointed out that in both lions and humans sexual behavior is driven by a phenomenon we call instinct. To illustrate the point, … [Read more…]
Trick or Treat?  Native Americans enjoyed the fact(?) that the raven, crow, coyote and fox all display behavior that suggests that they appreciate a sense of humor. During a wonderful encounter with a fox pup, Loren Eiseley wrote, “Yet here was the thing in the midst of the bones, the wide-eyed … [Read more…]
John Muir and Darwin Discuss Evolution (Kinda) (Bust sculpted by Rob Hampton 1985) I have read and reread Muir’s writings for over 40 years. And while I don’t recall that he discussed evolution, he often described “gloriously beautiful monuments of nature†(many in Yosemite) as “sparks of the divine soul.†In … [Read more…]
The Darwin and Wallace Debate Continues http://www.birdsofparadiseproject.org/content.php?page=61 This video fascinates me at many levels. A geophysicist wrote a book about Grand Canyon rock formations and called the process “miraculous.†An ornithologist wrote a book on feathers and called their structure and function miraculous. Gordon Taylor (British anthropologist) suggests that Darwin’s theory … [Read more…]
Birthdays, Baptisms, and John Muir’s America: Part I “Come next year, all of you. Come to the purest of terrestrial fountains. Come and receive baptism and absolution from civilized sins. You were but sprinkled last year. Come and be immersed.†Excerpt: BOFAW, chap. 19, Carnival.  I was saddened by the fact … [Read more…]
   The Labor of Living—Loving—Learning “Your daily life is your temple and religion.†The Prophet, Gibran For many people this means that careers, jobs and professions become their “temple and religion.†The word religion derives from the Latin: re-ligare, to apply a ligament. I have long been fascinated that the origin … [Read more…]
In The Immense Journey, Loren Eiseley describes the boisterous reunion of a mated pair of sparrow hawks that may have revealed that they understand, and feel more compassion than scientists have ever guessed. “I saw both now. He was rising fast to meet her. They met in a great soaring gyre that turned into a … [Read more…]
  No man is an island, Entire of itself, Every man is a piece of the continent, A part of the main.         John Donne Having Patti Rosellini discover BOFAW reminded me of Elton John’s “Golden Oldie,â€Â “Michelle’s Song.†A very, very long time ago (1975) I was not aware of the song until students used … [Read more…]
  Mike Dunn posted an amazing video of a singer arguably reaching the lowest known notes recorded buy a human. It sounds very much like the lowest note capable of being played on the grand organ at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral. The organ has over 7,000 pipes; one is about … [Read more…]
  Excerpt: Biodesign Out For A Walk, Introduction.  “They learned that Albert Einstein and Loren Eiseley agreed that every branch of science was cloaked in mystery and that it would be their challenge and privilege to contemplate those mysteries.†Einstein:  “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of … [Read more…]